CHILDREN with additional learning needs are to be offered more support from Flintshire County Council after Cabinet agreed to expand in-county education provision.
Action is needed due to a sharp rise in the number of young people with complex additional needs. In the last three years the number of school-age pupils in out-of-county placements had almost doubled from 89 to 153 and last year those placements – including school transport – cost the authority almost £7.9 million.
Councillors have now backed plans to develop a new specialist education centre for neurodivergent pupils and those experiencing emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) at the former Ysgol Croes Atti in Flint.
Managed by Plas Derwen PRU, the facility will accommodate approximately 80 learners, as well as providing outreach support and interventions for children in mainstream settings.
It is part of a programme of works designed to reduce Flintshire County Council’s out-of-county spending and provide better education in a familiar environment for young people with complex needs.
“Increasing demand has impacted on capacity of both in-house and external provision, leading in some cases to learners having to wait to access the provision they need,” Cabinet Member for Education, Welsh Language, Culture and Leisure Cllr Mared Eastwood told members.
“A comprehensive review of current provision, together with an analysis of the presenting needs, has been completed. The level of demand identified is significant and will require a substantial capital investment as well as ongoing revenue funding from the council in order to develop the scale and quality of provision necessary to meet these needs effectively.
“Part of the capital funding for the project has already been secured and allocated through the Welsh Government’s ALN capital grant, enabling the council to progress the development without requiring much additional local capital resources.
“The availability of this dedicated funding stream provides financial certainty, supports timely delivery and reinforces the strategic case for expanding specialist provision to meet increasing demand.”
Cabinet also approved the creation of a new on-site inclusion centre at Ysgol Treffynnon. The purpose-built modular hub will provide a flexible environment for pupils requiring additional support, specialist interventions and help to access learning.
It has already secured £1.5m of Welsh Government funding towards the Ysgol Treffynnon inclusion centre and a further £1.5m towards the £5m redevelopment of the former Ysgol Croes Atti building.
Flintshire County Council’s strategy for future provision will also include creating additional inclusion centres at other secondary schools.
It proposes creating new satellite provision under the leadership of Ysgol Pen Coch to address increasing demand for specialist primary school places, with 27 children currently on the school’s waiting list. This will be co-located on the site of a mainstream primary school which has yet to be selected.
Finally the authority will continue to increase capacity at both Ysgol Pen Coch and Ysgol Maes Hyfryd specialist schools. Feasibility work will explore options including expanding the existing school buildings, constructing new buildings on the current sites or developing a new all-through school on a different site.
“Due to the complexities associated with individual school sites it is considered necessary to adopt a phased approach,” said Cllr Eastwood. “As you’ll be aware, the council is experiencing significant difficulty in meeting its statutory duties with regard to educational provision for children with additional learning needs and since the Covid pandemic there has been a rise in the number of children for whom it has become increasingly challenging for mainstream schools to meet their needs.”
That view was supported by Claire Homard, Chief Officer for Education and Youth who added: “By increasing provision within Flintshire, we are able to keep our learners closer to home, which is obviously better for their well‑being.
“The other benefit of having the right specialist provision locally is that we can release the pressure on many of our mainstream schools, who are really doing their best to make appropriate provision for learners with complex needs but don’t necessarily have the right financial resource or specialisms within their staff to do so.”
Cabinet unanimously supported the proposals.
